Vanilla sugar

I really don't understand the need for vanillin sugar. Bleh for that taste.

No, I make my own vanilla sugar, and it's a piece of cake: it needs a small jar of sugar, into which you stick one or two of the dry black vanilla pods, cut down to fit into the jar. Close the lid and let things sit for at least two weeks. To use: just use vanilla sugar instead of normal sugar for wherever you want the vanilla taste. Yum!

These vanilla pods seem inexhaustible. I just add sugar whenever the jar starts to go empty; I don't even know when I started my current jar, but it's been on my spice shelf for at least 5 years, probably closer to 10.

And this mercan idea of having vanilla in liquid form? I don't get it. You make your vanilla tincture, your vanilla pod is exhausted, when you run out of tincture you'll have to get another vanilla pod to make more. Vanilla pods aren't all that cheap ...

Of course, I've never made nor used liquid vanilla, and if you want to convince me of its value you'll have to include your "and this is how I make it" recipe. Because I've never seen it in our shops: people buy vanilla pods, not vanilla tincture, over here.

Comments

I ran across your article about you never have used liquid vanilla.
Oh my is all I can say. I would not be without it. I live in ohio and have been making the liquid for years. The way I personally do it is:
I take aprox 10 nice vanilla beans. Split and scrape out the seeds into a quart glass jar.
Also put the whole beans in the jar also ..... Then pour enough 100 proof vodka (can also use bourbon) but I personally prefer the 100 proof vodka. Make sure the bourbon is of a high proof!! let jar set in a dark cool (not cold) cabinet etc. shake jar once a day for 6 weeks. In six weeks it is ready to use. I leave the beans etc in the jar.
when i am making a cake or cookies i use this as any store boughten vanilla extract (what you made is a tincture). to make it even stronger add another 10 beans.
you can use less beans but i like mine rather strong... when i make a cake or cookies i use 1 teaspoon full. same for icecream... more if a person really loves vanilla but for me 1 teaspoon is plenty. a quart of this lasts me many many many years. I keep it on my shelf with my other baking items ...... this is really worth trying...
wanda aka wortmoon (at) yahoo.com

Our stores carry vanilla pods and vanillin sugar, and people usually make their own vanilla sugar, mostly 'cos vanillin sugar sucks. Very few folks (the really pretentious ones) add a vanilla pod to every single vanilla sauce they make.

So using 10 or even 20 vanilla pods all at once seems wasteful to me: I'm used to putting one or two pods into a jarful of sugar, and adding more sugar as the old sugar gets used up. These 1-2 pods last me for years.